American Forbes on Tuesday, March 1, published its annual, anniversary - 30th - ranking of the world's billionaires. The list included 77 representatives of Russia, 11 less than a year earlier: large businesses continue to suffer losses due to the economic crisis, the collapse of oil prices and the sanctions war with the West. Headed Russian part rating - for the first time in history - co-owner of Novatek and Sibur Leonid Mikhelson. Read more about the ten richest Russians and four newcomers from Russia on the list in our gallery.

1. Leonid Mikhelson

Net worth: $14.4 billion

Change for the year: + $2.7 billion

Place in the world ranking: 60 Leonid Mikhelson is the main shareholder of the largest independent gas producer in Russia Novatek and the petrochemical holding Sibur. He also owns a minority stake in Promsvyazbank. Mikhelson's partner at Novatek and Sibur is Gennady Timchenko. Another co-owner of the petrochemical holding is Kirill Shamalov, whom the media call the alleged husband of Katerina Tikhonova, the alleged daughter of Vladimir Putin. Shamalov acquired a stake in Sibur from Timchenko after American sanctions were imposed against a longtime acquaintance of the Russian president. At the end of 2015, the Chinese Sinopec acquired 10% of Sibur for $1.3 billion. Mikhelson enthusiastically collects art and sponsors exhibitions in Russia and the USA. His father was the director of the Kuibyshevtruboprovodstroy construction trust, the largest in the system of the Ministry of Construction of the Oil and Gas Industry of the USSR.

2. Mikhail Fridman

Net worth: $13.3 billion

Change for the year: - $1.3 billion

Place in the world ranking: 63 Together with his long-time business partners from his student days, German Khan and Alexey Kuzmichev, he controls Alfa Group, Russia's largest financial and industrial investment group. In 2013, the state-owned Rosneft for $28 billion bought from Mikhail Fridman, Viktor Vekselberg and Leonard Blavatnik 50% of the oil company TNK-BP, which the billionaires owned on a parity basis with the British BP. Friedman earned $5.1 billion from the deal. In 2013, this money was partially used to launch a new structure of Alpha - the holding LetterOne Holdings S.A. (L1), on the balance sheet of which were the foreign assets of the investment group and which was entrusted with control over M&A transactions abroad. In particular, L1 acquired the German oil and gas company Dea RWE for $5.7 billion in 2015. Among Alpha’s largest projects are the second largest Russian retailer X5, shares in the telecommunications holdings VimpelCom and Turkcell. A native of Ukraine, Friedman moved to Moscow in his youth to attend university. In 1989, together with Khan and Kuzmichev, he founded the Alfa-Eco company, which marked the beginning of the construction of one of the main business empires in Russia. Two years later, the partners created Alfa Bank, now the largest private bank in the country.

3. Alisher Usmanov

Net worth: $12.5 billion

Change for the year: - $1.9 billion

Place in the world ranking: 73 Alisher Usmanov, who has headed the Russian Forbes list for several years in a row, manages one of the most extensive business empires in the country. Among its assets is the metallurgical holding Metalloinvest, the second largest mobile operator Russia "Megafon" and the publishing house "Kommersant". In 2014, the billionaire sold 12% of the USM Holdings management holding to his long-time junior business partners and key top managers. Usmanov is a member of a number of important lobbying organizations, including the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. In 2013, he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. One of the early investors in Facebook, three years ago the businessman sold off all shares of the social network and focused on Chinese assets - he has a stake in the online retailer Alibaba, Usmanov invested $500 million in the smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi. The billionaire is also a co-owner of the London football club Arsenal. In 2015, Usmanov made more headlines for his social initiatives: he borrowed 1 billion rubles from the Russian Football Union to help the organization pay off Italian coach Fabio Capello.

4. Vladimir Potanin

Net worth: $12.1 billion

Change for the year: - $3.3 billion

Place in the world ranking: 78 Last year’s leader of the Russian Forbes list, Vladimir Potanin, a former employee of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, in 1991 met his future partner Mikhail Prokhorov, at that time the head of the Soviet International Bank economic cooperation (IBEC). In 1993, the partners created Oneximbank, which lured IBES clients to serve them. Oneximbank became a platform for the construction of the Interros holding. On loans-for-shares auctions A tandem of billionaires gained control over the metallurgical giant MMC Norilsk Nickel and the oil company Sidanco. In 2007, Potanin and Prokhorov decided to divide the business. Potanin, a former deputy prime minister in the government of Viktor Chernomyrdin and a partner of George Soros in investing in Svyazinvest, concentrated his assets in Interros. With the support of the state, the billionaire became the largest private investor in the Winter Olympics in Sochi - he built the Rosa Khutor ski resort. In May 2014, Potanin divorced his wife Natalia and married a subordinate named Ekaterina for the second time; the couple already had a child. Natalia filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband - she demands 50% of the billionaire's assets. In the fall of 2015, the Moscow City Court rejected the claim; Natalia challenged this decision on appeal. The litigation continues.

5. Gennady Timchenko

Net worth: $11.4 billion

Change for the year: + $0.7 billion

Place in the world ranking: 85 Co-founder of Gunvor Group, one of the world's largest commodity traders, Gennady Timchenko sold 43% of the company's shares to another of its founders, Torbjorn Tornqvist, in March 2014, the day before he was included in the American sanctions list - according to the authorities USA, the billionaire is part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Timchenko, in response to Washington’s actions, only stated that “you have to pay for everything in this life, including friendship with the president.” In 2015, he continued the sale of assets, including shares in construction companies SK Most and ARKS and the Sogaz insurance holding. Timchenko's assets today are shares in the petrochemical holding Sibur, the railway operator Transoil and the construction group Stroytransgaz. The businessman also chairs the board of directors of the Kontinental Hockey League and serves as president of the St. Petersburg hockey club SKA, winner of the 2015 Gagarin Cup.

6. Alexey Mordashov

Net worth: $10.9 billion

Change for the year: - $2.1 billion

Place in the world ranking: 93 Alexey Mordashov, the main owner of the metallurgical giant Severstal, left the post of general director of the company in 2015 after nineteen years at the helm. He also guaranteed Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would abandon short-sighted investments (amid the sale of Severstal's North American assets). In addition to the steel industry, Mordashov’s business empire extends to tourism (operator TUI), gold mining (Nordgold), and heavy engineering (Power Machines). A hereditary metallurgist, he literally grew up at the enterprise, quickly built a career and became financial director, and then bought shares and himself became the main owner of Severstal. Mordashov is on the boards of trustees of the Bolshoi Theater, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Valaam Monastery and the National Chess Federation. He speaks fluent German and is interested in poetry, art and winter sports.

7. Viktor Vekselberg

Net worth: $10.5 billion

Change for the year: - $3.7 billion

Place in the world ranking: 98 The Russian authorities entrusted Viktor Vekselberg with one of the most ambitious projects - the Skolkovo innovation city: the billionaire heads the fund of the same name, which oversees the development of the national analogue of Silicon Valley. Since 2010, the fund has issued grants, including to Vekselberg's structures, including $13 million for the innovative energy company Hevel. In 2013, the businessman, together with his billionaire partners Mikhail Fridman and Leonard Blavatnik, sold a 50% stake in TNK-BP to the state-owned Rosneft for $28 billion and received $7 billion from the deal. He spent part of the funds on purchasing a 25% stake in the Swiss metallurgical company Schmolz+ Bickenbach. In 2014, the entrepreneur also acquired Octo Telematics, an Italian manufacturer of software for insurers. Vekselberg has a 6.2 percent stake in Bank of Cyprus. Its industrial conglomerate Renova is a strategic investor in the Swiss market. Among the main assets are shares in the industrial groups Oerlikon and Sulzer. In 2015, Vekselberg spent almost $1 billion to double his stake in Sulzer, to 63%. A native of Ukraine, the future billionaire made his first money selling scrap metal. In the 1990s, he founded the holding company SUAL. In 2007, SUAL merged assets with the Rusal group and mining company Glencore - this is how the world's largest aluminum producer UC Rusal was born, where the billionaire retains a minority stake. In addition, Vekselberg has stakes in petrochemical, consumer goods and telecommunications businesses. He owns a large art collection, including nine Faberge Easter eggs, which the billionaire bought from the Forbes family for $100 million. In November 2013, Vekselberg opened a private museum in St. Petersburg, where he exhibited his treasures. In February 2014, the businessman donated a three-room apartment in the Azimut hotel in Sochi to Olympic figure skating champions Tatyana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov. Athletes will need their own housing in the capital of the 2014 Games to realize their dream of creating a children's school, the philanthropist reasoned. In 2015, Renova transferred Azimut to the All-Russian Children's Center.

8. Vladimir Lisin

Net worth: $9.3 billion

Change for the year: - $2.3 billion

Place in the world ranking: 116 Vladimir Lisin made a fortune in steel and cargo transportation. He began his career as an electrical mechanic at the Yuzhkuzbassugol association. After graduating from the institute, he worked at metallurgical enterprises, rising from an assistant steelmaker to deputy general director of the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant. In 1991, together with his leader, who became the Minister of Metallurgy, the future billionaire moved to Moscow. He soon became a partner in the Trans-World Group, which within a few years had grown into a leading Russian exporter of aluminum and steel. By that time, Lisin had accumulated a wealth of experience in managing metallurgical production, so that during the division of assets in 2000, he naturally took ownership of the industry giant - the Novolipetsk Iron and Steel Works. The billionaire also controls the logistics holding UCL, which owns the First Freight Company. His most famous hobby outside of business is shooting: Lisin built the largest shooting complex in Europe, “Fox Hole,” in the Moscow region. In January 2016, the billionaire criticized the Russian defense complex for its lack of competence in the production of sporting firearms.

9. Vagit Alekperov

Net worth: $8.9 billion

Change for the year: - $3.3 billion

World ranking: 124 Vagit Alekperov heads Lukoil, the largest independent oil producer in Russia, which is exploring the West Qurna-2 field in Iraq, one of the most promising in the world. In 2016, the company plans to invest $1.5 billion in the development of its projects Alekperov is not considered a close associate of Vladimir Putin, but this did not save Lukoil from American sanctions - restrictions against the company were introduced in September 2014. The main owner of the company plans to inherit the share to his son Yusuf - on the condition that he does not sell the asset and the family remains the largest co-owner of the oil giant. Passed all career levels in oil industry, at the end of the USSR, the future billionaire even managed to work as an industry minister. In 1991, he privatized three large fields and founded Lukoil. Alekperov is the author of the book “Russian Oil: Past, Present and Future” and founder of the regional social programs“Our Future”, which actively supports social entrepreneurship.

10. German Khan Net worth: $8.7 billion

Change for the year: + $0.8 billion

Place in the world ranking: 128 German Khan, together with Mikhail Fridman and Alexey Kuzmichev, owns Alfa Group, the largest private financial and industrial group in Russia. He worked for a long time executive director oil company TNK-BP, which he left in March 2013 - after the 50% share of Alfa and its partners was bought by the state-owned Rosneft for $28 billion. Khan earned $3.3 billion from the deal. In 2013, together with other Alfa members, he used part of the funds to create the company LetterOne Holdings S.A. (L1), specializing in investments in foreign assets (for example, the German oil and gas company DEA). Khan joined the board of directors of L1. The company's head office is located in London, where the billionaire bought a mansion worth $91 million in 2010. A native of Kyiv, he moved to Moscow to attend university. Together with Friedman and Kuzmichev, Khan founded the Alfa-Eco trader in 1989. Two years later, the partners created Alfa Bank, now the largest private bank in Russia. In the late 1990s, Alpha gained control of TNK and created a joint venture with British BP. Other assets of the group include mobile operator VimpelCom and retailer X5 Retail Group.

Net worth: $1.2 billion

Leonid Boguslavsky has been involved in business in the IT field since the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he managed to be a partner of Boris Berezovsky in the LogoVAZ company and a Russian representative of the Oracle software corporation. In 1993, the businessman exchanged his stake in LogoVAZ for a subsidiary of the company, system integrator LVZ. Four years later, Boguslavsky sold LVZ to the auditor PriceWaterhouseCoopers for $10 million. The entrepreneur made the bulk of his fortune through successful venture investments, the most successful of which - in the Russian search giant Yandex - was made in the early 2000s. Boguslavsky invests through the Ru-Net and RTP Ventures funds. Among his latest investments are the German Delivery Hero, the American DataDog and FreeCharge, and the Indian SnapDeal.

Newcomer: Kirill Shamalov

Net worth: $1.2 billion

Kirill Shamalov is the youngest son of Nikolai Shamalov, a longtime acquaintance of Vladimir Putin, co-owner of Rossiya Bank. According to media reports, he is allegedly the husband of Katerina Tikhonova, the alleged daughter of the Russian President. Shamalov Jr. is a graduate of St. Petersburg State University. At the age of 26, he became vice president of the Sibur petrochemical holding. In 2014, the entrepreneur acquired 17% of Sibur from another longtime acquaintance of Putin, billionaire Gennady Timchenko. In total, today Kirill Shamalov owns 21.3% of the holding - he is the second co-owner of Sibur after Leonid Mikhelson. In December 2015, the Chinese state-owned company Sinopec acquired 10% of Sibur for $1.339 billion

Authoritative publication Forbes, this spring, again published a list of the richest and most prosperous people in the world. There are more than 1 billion net worth owners. American dollars It turned out to be quite a lot, about 2 thousand people. And what is noteworthy is that in the ranking of famous “oligarchs”, there are 67 people under 40 years of age. Which indicates a large increase in young, but very wealthy people. Also in the ranking of billionaires, 77 people come from Russia. The combined wealth of all billionaires is $6.4 trillion.

$75 billion

Change over the year:-$4.2 billion Status source: Microsoft

The list of the richest people in 2016 opens with Bill Gates. One of the main and largest shareholders of Microsoft. Its capital at the end of 2015 amounted to $75 billion. Over the past 20 years, he has topped the list 16 times, but it is worth noting that Bill is actively involved in philanthropy, having donated approximately $32 billion. Only because of this, he dropped to second place in the ranking several times. The past year brought Bill Gates about 4.2 billion dollars, 20% of all income is from Microsoft shares, but Bill also invests in railroads, waste recycling companies and engineering companies.

$67 billion

Change over the year:+$2.5 billion Status source: Zara

The businessman's income is 67 billion US dollars. He became famous for creating the world famous brand Zara. Sufficiently economical and at the same time good quality clothing, produced at this moment in 70 countries, and during the crisis, it helped not only keep its owner afloat, but also significantly increase profits. Over the course of a year, he increased his fortune by $2.5 billion, and if we take from 2009 to 2014, then in 6 years Ortega became richer by $45 billion, such income was caused by the rapid growth of shares. Ortega also invests cash in real estate of large cities, gas, tourism and many other different areas.

$60.8 billion

Change over the year:-$11.9 billion Status source: Berkshire Hathaway

Oil tycoon. Owner of 60 billion dollars. Engaged in the purchase of oil shares, metallurgy, and food products. Last fall, Warren became the owner of the metallurgy holding company Precision Castparts, which, in fact, became one of the most important and profitable agreements for his business. The purchase cost a colossal amount - $37 billion. Also, do not forget about Warren's charity; in 2010, he announced that he was donating more than 50% of his fortune ($37 billion) to charitable foundations, this is the largest charitable act in the history of mankind.

$50 billion

Change over the year:-$27.1 billion Status source: Telecommunications

In 2016, Carlos has a net worth of $50 billion. The main direction of the “rich man” is the corporatization of the America Movil holding. 2015 was not entirely successful for Carlos; his income fell rapidly, reducing his capital by $27 billion. This is due to the government's policies, which tightened legislation in the field of telecommunications, as well as the crisis and weakening of the Mexican currency, all of which dealt a crushing blow to Carlos's shares. Over the course of a year, the TV mogul dropped from first position in the rating to fourth. But in addition to these activities, he owns the financial company Ideal and is on the founding board of the New York Time house.

$45.2 billion

Change over the year:+$10.4 billion Status source: Amazon

Next on the list of richest people is Jeff Bezos, with savings of $45 billion. Jeff closes the top five, the best of the best, oligarchs in the world. The owner of the Washington Post newspaper and the Blue Origin aerospace corporation, he is also the main face of the online sales portal Amazon, which earned $107 billion in 2015. Jeff's fortune increased by 10.4 billion this year.

$44.6 billion

Change over the year:+$11.2 billion Status source: Facebook

A favorite of young people around the world. The young philanthropist's fortune is estimated at $44.5 billion. Founder of the most popular social network Facebook. Profit to billionaire's capital per Last year amounted to more than $11 billion, 99% of which he plans to give to charity. Mark is also making a serious bet on the Oculus Rift helmet, which is currently at the prototype stage, however, he has already invested about $2 billion there.

$43.6 billion

Change over the year:-$10.7 billion Status source: Oracle

Director of the Oracle Company and the greatest sponsor of various types of games in America. As of February 2016, his fortune is estimated at $43 billion, part of which was brought to him by investments from such organizations as Salesforce and NetSuite Inc. But overall, Larry lost $10.7 billion over the past year. All this does not prevent the billionaire from buying real estate around the world, for example, not so long ago he bought the island of Lanai for $300 million.

Our world is structured in such a way that there is no real equality in it. And this is observed in various areas of our lives. Including financial ones. There are quite poor people, there is a middle class, there are simply wealthy, rich and very rich. The latter, of course, are an absolute minority. And that’s exactly what we’ll talk about today. Some of them achieved everything through many years of hard work, some through their inventions and their successful promotion, some received an excellent inheritance and managed to use it correctly. Every year, publications such as Forbes publish a list of the most influential and wealthy people on our planet. Who got into it today? Who became the first in the category “The richest person in the world 2016”?

Latest trends in the world of the rich

How does the 2016 list differ from the previous one? Firstly, there are as many as 16 fewer people on it than in 2015 - there are 1,810 people on the list. Probably, the global crisis is having an effect. Additionally, the billionaires on the list have a combined wealth of $6.48 trillion. This figure also decreased by 570 billion compared to 2015. Another “value” has also changed – the members of the list have become younger. Of the total number, almost seven dozen people have not yet reached 40 years of age.

World billionaires. Who's on the list?

Let's find out who is on the list of the richest people in the world. Of course, it is impossible to describe almost 2 thousand people. So we'll take the top ten.

• Bill Gates. The founder of the world-famous Microsoft corporation is once again at the very top of the list. His fortune as of March of this year was estimated at $75 billion. Over the past year, the businessman has lost 4 billion. An American has headed the top ten richest people in the world for the 17th time in the last two decades. But Gates is known not only for his huge fortune, but also for his charity. The Foundation, jointly with his wife, focuses on vaccination issues in developing countries and improving the level of medical care. If you count how much the philanthropist has donated to charity over the entire period, this figure will be $31 billion. The American has numerous profitable investments, including not only his own creation, but also the Canadian National Railway, waste treatment plant, mechanical engineering. Last year, Bill Gates became one of the investors in the original startup Impossible Food. Its creators decided to grow products that could replace meat.

• Amancio Ortega. Next on the list is a 79-year-old Spanish retailer. His fortune as of March 2016 was $67 billion. In 1975, the son of a railroad worker created the Zara company. After 5 years, the network has already begun to expand beyond Spain. Today this brand is well-known in various cities of the world, and its founder himself, thanks to strict management and the right investments, today ranks second after the creator of Microsoft in the list of the richest people on the planet. From 2009 and over the next five years, thanks to the rapid growth of shares of his company Inditex, Ortega's fortune grew by $45 billion. And 2015 added another $2.5 billion to the total.

• Warren Buffett. At the beginning of 2016, the 85-year-old American’s fortune amounted to $60.8 billion. But last year cost him almost 12 billion in losses. The main source of his wealth is the investment corporation Berkshire Hathaway. Last year, it bought the metallurgical holding Precision Castparts, which is the most successful deal in the entire history of the enterprise. In addition, Buffett's corporation actively invests in the food industry (Burger King, the famous coffee chain Tim Hortons), buys shares in the oil industry, and cooperates with corporations such as Coca-Cola and IBM. He is also the owner of many other successful businesses. The billionaire himself believes that his first and best investment– studying Benjamin Graham’s book “The Smart Investor” in the long-ago year of 1949. After that, under the “patronage” of Graham himself, he began his active work, which brings him success today.

• Carlos Slim Helu. A native of Mexico took an honorable fourth place in the top 10 richest people in the world in 2016 with a fortune of $50 billion. True, last year dealt a heavy blow to his well-being: the businessman suffered losses of 27 billion. The main reason is that the shares of his television operator America Movil seriously collapsed after the actions of the country's authorities. Carlos Slim Helu also remains one of the largest investors in The New York Times. The richest citizen of Mexico controls large enterprises in the fields of finance, industry and infrastructure.

• Larry Ellison. The 71-year-old founder of Oracle, a man of many interests and skills, was worth $43.6 billion at the beginning of the year. Moreover, its losses over the past 12 months amounted to almost 11 billion. Before the founding of Oracle in 1977, the talented software developer managed to work for American intelligence. Today he is one of the largest sponsors of traditional sailing competitions, as an avid sailing enthusiast. In 2014, Ellison voluntarily resigned as CEO of Oracle, but retained the positions of chairman of the board of directors and director of technology development. The businessman is actively engaged in buying real estate. For example, in 2012 he acquired the cozy Hawaiian island of Lanai. The billionaire's daughter Megan does not hide in the shadow of her rich father, but is herself a successful film producer.

• Michael Bloomberg took a respectable eighth position on the 2016 list of the world's richest people. financial condition at the beginning of the year it was 40 billion, and the increase in 2015 was 4.5 billion. The 74-year-old American resigned as mayor of New York in 2013. And two years later he returned to big business. As you might guess, his brainchild is the news agency Bloomberg LP. He decided to modernize his creation, focusing on his profile - finance and business. The businessman does not forget about charity. He has already spent a total of 3.8 billion on it.

• Charles and David Koch. The last two places in the top ten "money bags" of the globe are occupied by the Koch brothers, owners of the family holding Koch Industries. Charles's fortune, like David's, is 39.6 billion. Last year they suffered losses of 3 billion each. The brothers' company specializes in the construction of pipelines, the production of building materials and many other goods, and oil refining. The company's revenue is $115 billion. Like many other billionaires, the brothers are actively involved in charity work. Their main direction is the educational sphere.

Many of the famous multi-billionaires started their journey from the very bottom. Their extraordinary intelligence, desire for new knowledge and skills, development, entrepreneurial flair and profitable deals and operations have brought them to today's high level. These are people who were not afraid to take risks, discover new things and calculate their actions in advance. And every year more and more young people appear among the most respectable people on the planet. And if Bill Gates is the richest person in the world in 2016, who knows to whom he will lose the palm in a couple of years.

Annual list of the richest people on the planet. As in 2015, the first position was taken by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Zara founder Amancio Ortega moved up to second place (from fourth place). Investor Warren Buffett retained third place.

Within the ranking of the top 15 richest people, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rose the most (from 15th place to fifth place), while Wal-Mart co-owner Jim Walton fell back to 15th place from ninth. Of the 15 richest people in the world, 11 are US citizens, two are French, and one more businessman each comes from Spain and Mexico. Newcomers to the top 15 are the founders of Google and Facebook.

Together, the 15 richest people on the planet have a net worth of $679 billion.

1. Bill Gates

State: $75 billion

Age: 60 years

A country: USA

Status source: Microsoft

The founder of the IT giant Microsoft finds himself at the top of the Forbes world list for the second year in a row. Gates is known as a major philanthropist, the founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to improve health care in developing countries. The Gateses have already donated more than $31 billion to charitable purposes. In 2015, speaking in Paris at the UN climate change conference, Gates spoke about the formation of the so-called. Breakthrough Energy Coalition - an association of more than 20 billionaires who will invest in projects related to clean energy

2. Amancio Ortega

State: $67 billion

Age: 79 years old

A country: Spain

Status source: Zara

Amancio Ortega - richest man Europe and the wealthiest retailer in the world. Zara was founded by Ortega and his wife Rosalia Mera in 1975. Now there are about 2 thousand brand stores of this brand in the world. The Inditex company, which Ortega founded, now includes brands such as Pull&Bear, Bershka, Massimo Dutti.

The years of world peace were extremely successful for Inditex and Ortega. financial crisis: from 2009 to 2014, the businessman became richer by $45 billion due to the rapid growth of the company’s shares

3. Warren Buffett

State: $60.8 billion

Age: 85 years old

A country: USA

Status source: Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett is considered a legendary investor, he is called the “Oracle of Omaha” (the city where he lives). He gained control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, when the company was in the textile business. Now the company's capitalization is more than $202 billion, it combines a portfolio of financial investments, insurance business, includes the railway freight operator BNSF and a number of other businesses. Last week, Buffett delivered his 51st message to shareholders, admitting several of his mistakes in 2015 - in particular, buying entire companies. “I will make other mistakes, you can be sure of that,” he said. Despite his advanced age, Buffett has not yet announced who will replace him at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway

4. Carlos Slim

State:$50 billion

Age: 76 years old

A country: Mexico

Status source: Telefonos de Mexico, America Movil

The past year was not easy for Carlos Slim Elu - his fortune decreased by $27 billion, no one else lost in the new Forbes ranking. Shares of his mobile operator America Movil have collapsed due to Mexico's new antitrust laws in the telecommunications sector. Slim's business was adversely affected by the weakening of the Mexican peso and the crisis in Brazil. ​In addition to telecommunications assets, Slim owns shares in the industrial conglomerate Grupo Carso, The New York Times and the financial corporation Grupo Financiero Inbursa

5. Jeff Bezos

State: $45.2 billion

Age: 52

A country: USA

Status source: Amazon

In 2015, Blue Origin, owned by Bezos, launched a suborbital rocket, which was successfully landed and later used again. In 2015, Amazon earned a record $107 billion. But the reputation of Bezos and his company was somewhat damaged by an article published in The New York Times, which said that the billionaire’s management was putting pressure on employees and forcing them to work overtime. Moreover, this is not the first major complaint against Bezos in the field of labor protection: in 2014, the International Trade Union Confederation called him “the worst boss in the world”

6. Mark Zuckerberg

State: $44.6 billion

Age: 31 year

A country: USA

Status source: Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg became the most successful businessman of 2015 - the growth of Facebook shares over the past 12 months brought him $11.2 billion. At the end of January 2016, against the backdrop of record quarterly revenue (up to $5.84 billion), Zuckerberg's fortune immediately increased by more than $6 billion. In December, Zuckerberg became a father, after which he announced that he would donate 99% of the proceeds from Facebook shares to charity during his lifetime.

7. Larry Ellison

State: $43.6 billion

Age: 71 years old

A country: USA

Status source: Oracle

Ellison started out working as a programmer and developing databases for the CIA. In 1977, he founded Oracle, which eventually became the second-largest software company in terms of revenue after Microsoft. In 2014, Ellison left the post of CEO of Oracle, which he held for 38 years. However, he retained his position as chief technology officer and chairman of the board of directors. In June 2015, Ellison said that Oracle intends to compete with Amazon in the development of cloud technologies

State: $40 billion

Age: 74 years old

A country: USA

Status source: Bloomberg L.P.

The end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 became the time for Michael Bloomberg to return to big politics - the former mayor of New York announced that he would fight for the presidency of the United States as an independent candidate. Bloomberg is ready to allocate $1 billion from his personal funds to the election campaign. Bloomberg has been on the list of billionaires since 1995. The Bloomberg agency he founded has 325 thousand subscribers.

9-10. Brothers Charles and David Koch

Net worth: $39.6 billion

Age: 80 years old (Charles), 75 (David)

A country: USA

Status source: Koch Industries

The Koch brothers head one of the largest American corporations - Koch Industries. It is a holding company consisting of dozens of industrial and financial companies. The older brother is the CEO, the younger is the executive vice president. Each of them holds 42% of the concern's shares, refusing to conduct an IPO. Among the largest industrialists in the United States, the Koch brothers are considered the most politically active clan. Back in 1980, David Koch was the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate, and since then the brothers have donated hundreds of millions to conservative and libertarian foundations. For example, over several years they donated $10 million each to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a human rights organization that defends freedom of information and criticizes the Patriot Act.

11. Liliane Bettencourt

State: $36.1 billion

Age: 93 years old

A country: France

Status source: L'Oreal

The richest Frenchwoman and the richest woman in the world, Bettencourt, is the main shareholder of the L’Oreal perfume company. She owns 31% of the holding’s shares, as well as 3% in Nestle (which, in turn, is a co-owner of L’Oreal). Bettencourt has been the company's leading shareholder for almost 60 years. During this time, her name appeared in several political and financial scandals. For example, she became one of the victims of the swindler Bernard Madoff, losing $22 million. Yet she is better known as a philanthropist: the assets of the Bettencourt charitable foundation amount to more than €150 million

12. Larry Page

State: $35.2 billion

Age: 42 years

A country: USA

Status source: Google

Co-owner of Internet giant Google Larry Page now heads the Alphabet holding company, created in August 2015 to unite all Google assets. In early February, Alphabet, ahead of Apple Corporation, briefly became the most valuable company in the world with a capitalization of $568 billion. Now the figure has rolled back to $500 billion (while for Apple it is $547 billion). In addition, Page is interested in the latest technology projects, investing in renewable energy and the development of hybrid cars. Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk (94th place with $10.7 billion) is his close friend

13. Sergey Brin

State: $34.4 billion

Age: 42 years

A country: USA

Status source: Google

A classmate of Larry Page at Stanford University, at Google Corporation Brin is responsible more for technological developments (while Page is engaged in general management). For example, under the direct leadership of Brin there is a semi-secret Google X laboratory, which released Google Glass and is developing an unmanned vehicle and biomedical innovations. A native of Moscow, he lived in the USSR until the age of five, after which he emigrated with his family to the States. At Alphabet, Brin holds the position of President.

14. Bernard Arnault

State: $34 billion

Age: 66 years old

A country: France

Status source: LVMH

Forbes magazine calls the Frenchman Arnault “one of the world’s main tastemakers.” His LVMH holding unites leading brands of premium alcohol, perfumes and fashion houses. The businessman began his path in the luxury goods segment in the 1980s with the management of Christian Dior, after which he created a holding company to purchase other market players. Arnault also made non-core investments: for example, in 1999 he invested $30 million in the young Netflix service. A good friend of Nicolas Sarkozy, he was a witness at the politician's wedding to his second wife Cecile in 1996. On the contrary, Arnault is extremely dissatisfied with the policies of Socialist President Francois Hollande. If a tax on excess income is introduced in France, the billionaire promises to obtain Belgian citizenship

15. Jim Walton

Net worth: $33.6 billion

Age: 67 years old

A country: USA

Status source: Wal-Mart

Jim Walton is part of the family that owns the world's largest supermarket chain, Wal-Mart, and the richest (his sister Alice and brother Rob each own about $32 billion). Their older brother and Wal-Mart's major shareholder, John Walton, died in a plane crash in 2005, and Jim has since taken his brother's place on the company's board of directors. In total, the heirs of the company's founder, Sam Walton, own more than 50% of Wal-Mart shares. Jim also does banking, which is why his condition is slightly higher. According to Fortune, the company is the world's largest private employer with 2.2 million jobs and 11,500 retail locations.

Every year, Forbes magazine, which is responsible for educating the electorate in terms of finance and economics, compiles lists of the wealthiest people different countries. Let's take a look at the list the richest people in Russia in 2016 according to Forbes.

1. Leonid Mikhelson

Leonid Mikhelson is the richest man in Russia in Forbes ranking for 2016. The sixty-one-year-old entrepreneur got into engineering by inheriting it from his father, who at one time was involved in the construction of an oil pipeline. After graduating from college, the future billionaire began working on the gas path. Starting as an engineer, he soon headed a trust founded by his father, which was one of the first in the region to go through the process of corporatization and transfer completely into private hands. Subsequently, the gas company was renamed OJSC Novatek, where Mikhelson is still a largest shareholder and chairman of the board. In addition to Novatek, he serves as chairman of the board of directors at the petrochemical holding Sibur. Organized a foundation representing the interests of contemporary Russian art in the West, and was awarded a couple of significant awards from the state. Leonid Mikhelson's fortune is $14.4 billion.

2. Mikhail Fridman

Second place in the ranking of the richest people in Russia in 2016 according to Forbes was taken by Mikhail Fridman with a fortune of 13.3 billion US dollars. Having exchanged half a century, Friedman currently lives in the capital of Great Britain and has dual citizenship - Russian and Israeli. In his hypothetical work book You can include participation in the board of such conglomerates as Alfa Group and VimpelCom, has weight in the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists and the Russian Jewish Congress. Although Mikhail was born into an engineering family, and also graduated from the Institute of Steel and Alloys, he won his first financial victories on another front. The window cleaning company gave Friedman his first large profits, which later became the basis of his future fortune. Being engaged in the trade of computer equipment, photographic materials and other goods, I nevertheless found out for myself that working in the oil business would bring big profits. Most of the enterprises he organizes have the prefix “Alpha,” which seems to indicate Friedman’s importance in the circles in which he moves.

3. Alisher Usmanov

In his sixty-two years, this richest entrepreneur in Russia has managed to do a lot, for which in 2013 he was included in the list of the fifty most influential people in the whole world. Winner of several state awards, philanthropist and major entrepreneur Alisher Usmanov ranks third among the wealthiest residents of Russia with 12.5 billion US dollars. Since childhood, he had a sense of purpose, which ultimately led him to the first places of various important lists. Worked in management positions of many banks and financial companies, was involved in the gas and mining and metallurgical business, operators cellular communication and Internet business. Alisher Usmanov helps the development of Russian sports and spends hundreds of millions of dollars on charity. Relates to the free return to Russia of some valuable collections of art objects.

4. Vladimir Potanin

Vladimir Potanin is in fourth place in Forbes' ranking of Russia's richest billionaires this year. His fortune is $12.1 billion. This man was related not only to business and entrepreneurship. At one time I managed to work in the government Russian Federation. He developed his skills, most likely, while working in the system foreign trade Soviet Union, from where he moved to private business. Private investment and mining metallurgy were the natural result of Potanin's many years of practice on the waves of entrepreneurship. At one time, he managed to obtain controlling stakes in the companies Svyazinvest and Norilsk Nickel through participation in financial transactions through banking structures. Not the least place in Potanin’s life is occupied by charity and social activities. He has weight in the Russian Geographical Society, the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Union of Industrialists. He has an impressive list of state awards.

With $11.4 billion, Gennady Timchenko ranks 5th in the Forbes magazine ranking. Russian-Finnish entrepreneur, born in Leninakan, but currently has Russian and Finnish citizenship. The activities of the sixty-three-year-old businessman extend from hockey, to Russian-Chinese business relations, from investments in transport structures and energy, to participation in the board of trustees of a geographical society. The personality is quite multifaceted. Gennady Timchenko began his activities in foreign trade, and in the early 90s of the 20th century he settled in Finland, where he settled in senior positions in Finnish companies. Currently he has shares in companies involved in gas, oil, coal, as well as some investments in insurance, banking and other financially profitable organizations. He is intensely involved in social activities and charity work, and is seen on friendly terms with the current Russian president.

6. Alexey Mordashov

Like most of his colleagues on the list, Mordashev began with work in institute engineering education, but with the goal of achieving some heights, unlike most engineers, he was able to find his path to entrepreneurial activity. The beginning financial success can be considered the assumption of the position of financial director of a metallurgical plant in the city of Cherepovets, later renamed OJSC Severstal. Having received good financial support in the field of metallurgy, Mordashev began to establish international relations, as a result of which he appears in connections with Siemens and the World Steel Association. Winner of more than a dozen government awards and a fortune of $10.9 billion.

Seventh on the list of the richest businessmen in Russia is Viktor Vekselberg with a fortune of $10.5 billion. Over his sixty years, he managed to join science as a simple research fellow and even the head of the laboratory, which is why he is currently the president of the Skolkovo Foundation. In the nineties of the 20th century, Viktor Vekselberg held senior positions at enterprises related to Russian aluminum production, and was also seen in companies involved in oil refining. He is one of the ardent supporters of investing in the economy of the Russian Federation on a long-term basis. He is the founder of the “Link of Times” foundation, which plays an important role in the return of many cultural values ​​to their historical homeland. Viktor Vekselberg has significant weight in the Union of Industrialists of Russia, and is also the recognized leader of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.

8. Vladimir Lisin

Sixty-year-old entrepreneur Vladimir Lisin boasts an impressive list of educational qualifications and is among the richest people with a net worth of US$9.3 billion. He started out as a simple mechanic, who later worked his way up to the top of various financial ratings. Lisin’s main sources of income at the moment are participation in the metallurgical industry and transport logistics. Was seen in banking and participation in the management of shipbuilding companies. Doctor of Science and honorary metallurgist, is the author of more than four dozen public publications, including ten books and several patents for inventions. Due to his passion for shooting sports, Vladimir Lisin allows himself to abandon business affairs and act as a commentator on the TV channel “Match! Arena".

The main activity of this rich man in Russia is oil structures, which was most likely due to heredity - Vagit Alekperov’s father was an oil worker. He started as a simple oil production operator, and therefore knows the activity from what is called “from the inside.” Climbing the career ladder from operator, senior engineer, to the highest management levels, he managed to reach the ministerial chair. Working all his life in the field of oil production, and holding not the last positions in such organizations as Surgutneftegaz, Bashneft and Lukoil, the billionaire allowed himself to devote time to social activities, for which he was awarded more than once by the government, as well as scientific activities - on He is currently an honorary professor and member Russian Academy Sci. The Alekpers' fortune is measured at $8.9 billion.

The last place among the 10 richest people in Russia in 2016 according to Forbes was taken by German Khan, with a fortune of $8.7 billion. This billionaire, before becoming a major investment entrepreneur, managed to get acquainted with the work of a mechanic and tailoring. Later he worked in the wake of wholesale trade, after which he reached oil companies as deputy chairman of the board. Having completed several major transactions on the reorganization of large oil conglomerates, currently overseeing international investment projects from the Alfa Group company, which supports the oil and gas sector. In addition to the oil industry, he is well versed in banking sector, in connection with which he is a member of the supervisory board responsible for financial operations in the Alpha group of companies.